Installation and method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an installation and a method for the individually tailored filling of blister packs ( 25 ) with medication according to predetermined prescription data, the blister packs ( 25 ) having receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of administration times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays. The installation comprises a plurality of medication filling stations, arranged one behind the other, for filling each blister pack ( 25 ) with the respective specified medication and a transport device ( 10 ) designed to transport the blister packs ( 25 ) individually one behind the other in a direction of travel alongside the medication filling stations ( 40 ). Each blister back ( 25 ) is individually guided in such a way that said pack only approaches those medication filling stations ( 40 ) that are required by the prescription data for a filling operation, bypassing the other medication filling stations, and is directly conveyed onwards to the next required medication filling station or to a position behind a preceding blister pack ( 25 ) that is currently at a medication filling station ( 40 ). The individual guiding of the individual blister packs without a fixed cyclic operation to only those medication filling stations required by the prescription data permits a more rapid passage of the individual blister packs through the installation and thus increased efficiency. In addition, the operation of the installation is not brought to a standstill as a result of maintenance work on an individual medication filling station.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an installation and to a method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data, the blister packs having receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of intake times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays.

RELATED PRIOR ART

DE 10 2004 034 024 A2 discloses an individual blister pack for the weekly medication requirement of a patient (weekly blister) who is to take the medication in a sequence arranged according to date, day of the week and time of day (morning, midday and evening and/or night). The receiving compartments of the blister pack for receiving the respective medication are arranged in matrix form with seven day columns each with at least three time-of-day compartments which are sealed overall by a continuous blister film. A box-shaped lid containing the composition of the individual time-of-day compartments and prescription information relating to the respective medication is attached to the blister pack.

For patients who have to take a plurality of different medications on a regular basis, weekly blister packs of this type are an aid, on the one hand, for not forgetting to take important medication and, on the other hand, also for retaining a reliable overview of what medications have already been taken in order to avoid potentially harmful overmedication.

WO 2005 102 841 A1 discloses an installation for filling blister packs of this type tailored to the patient with the desired combination of medications. For each medication an output station is provided, which by means of rams assigned spatially to the receiving compartments of the blister pack conveys the respective medication from a temporary packaging in the form of a blister strip into the corresponding receiving compartments of the packaging unit. All of the blister packs tailored to the patient pass through all of the output stations of the installation in cycles, medication being taken up only at those stations which correspond to the prescription data assigned to the individual blister pack. Packaging units tailored to the patient can in this way be fully automatically filled safely and reliably with a selection from several hundred medications.

Since the medications processed by the packaging installation are prescribed in very different amounts, relatively long “standing times” in the temporary packaging, i.e. the blister strips, may arise in the case of medication prescribed less often. So that the medication does not become unusable due to the penetration of moisture or the like, the blister strips must therefore have good sealing of the receiving space for the medication, in particular against water vapour. On the other hand, this has the disadvantage that when a mechanical force is applied to the medication unit by the ram, the seal does not tear open reliably at the correct place or completely, so that errors may occur in the filling of the blister pack. Since merely incorrect filling of one compartment necessarily causes rejection of the entire blister pack, errors in the “repacking” of the medication from the blister strip into the blister pack are associated with a high outlay and costs. A further disadvantage is that because it is operated in cycles, maintenance of a medication filling station leads to a standstill of the entire installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to propose an installation and a method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data which has improved efficiency and ease of maintenance.

The object is achieved by an installation for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data, the blister packs having receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of intake times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays, comprising a number of medication filling stations arranged one after the other for filling the blister packs with in each case a particular medication, characterised by a transport device constructed for transporting the blister packs individually one after the other in a direction of movement alongside the medicament filling stations, each blister pack being guided individually in a manner such that said pack approaches only the medication filling stations required in each case according to the prescription data for a filling operation, bypassing the other medicament filling stations, and is directly conveyed onwards to the next required medication filling station or to a position behind a preceding blister pack present at a medication filling station, or up to the point of removal of the filled blister from the workpiece carrier.

The object is furthermore achieved by a method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data, the blister packs having receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of intake times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays, which method comprises conveying the blister packs individually one after the other in a direction of movement alongside medication filling stations arranged one after the other for filling the blister packs with in each case a particular medication, each blister pack being guided individually in a manner such that said pack approaches only the medication filling stations required in each case according to the prescription data for a filling operation, bypassing the other medication filling stations, and is directly conveyed onwards to the next required medication filling station or to a position behind a preceding blister pack present at a medication filling station.

The individual guiding of the individual blister packs without a fixed cyclic operation only to the medication filling stations required in each case according to the prescription data permits a more rapid passage of the individual blister packs through the installation and thus increased efficiency. Moreover, operation of the installation is not brought to a standstill as a result of maintenance work on an individual medication filling station.

Preferably, the blister packs are driven by means of a magnetic track with a linear motor, as a result of which individual control and reliable transport of a large number of blister packs is possible. Preferably, workpiece carriers guided in a magnetic track are provided for receiving the blister packs, which workpiece carriers are conveyed in a closed circuit, the blister packs being placed on the workpiece carriers before being filled and being removed again after the filling operation.

To increase the efficiency of the installation, in each case a column of a blister pack corresponding to a number of days can be filled simultaneously in one working step.

Preferably, each filling station has a movable premetering cartridge for filling the blister packs, as a result of which the time-critical operation of filling the blister pack is decoupled from the mechanically difficult operation of ejecting the medication units out of the blister strip.

The installation can furthermore have a camera arranged above the transport device for visual checking of the correct filling of the blister pack according to the prescription data. A plurality of filling stations can be combined in this case to form filling modules, such a camera being provided after each filling module.

Preferably, a clean room region is provided to create clean room conditions during filling of the blister packs.

The method according to the invention preferably comprises the method step of establishing and attaching a documentation carrier on the blister pack, comprising information relating to the individual and/or information on the use of the medication packaged in the blister pack.

In the method according to the invention, the sequence of the blister packs filled in succession can be specified according to the requirements of the recipients of the filled blister packs without a loss in the efficiency of the installation, as a result of which dispatch and marketing of the filled blister packs is simplified considerably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in detail in the following with the aid of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic detailed view from above of an embodiment of an installation according to the invention for individually tailored filling of blister packs.

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a blister pack for use with the installation according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic detailed view from above to show the progress of the method for filling a blister pack according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a premetering cartridge of the installation according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic detailed internal view of an embodiment of a medication output station according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view to show the progress of the method for filling a blister pack according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram to explain the method steps of an embodiment of the method according to the invention for individually tailored filling of blister packs.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an embodiment of an installation according to the invention for individually tailored filling of blister packs to explain the transport of the blister packs in the installation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a filling module 41 of an embodiment of the installation according to the invention for individually tailored filling of blister packs 25. In the embodiment shown, such a filling module 41 comprises five medication filling stations 40 arranged one after the other, each of which is provided for output of dosing units of a particular medication type. The number of medication filling stations 40 combined in a filling module 41 is of course not limited to five, but can be selected according to space conditions or expediency. Likewise, the total number of medication filling modules 41 in the installation is not limited to a particular number. The total number of filling stations 40 in this context in principle determines the maximum number of medications which can be blister-packed with the installation, it also being possible for more than one filling station to be provided for medications which are used particularly frequently.

The installation according to the invention is used for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data for a particular person/patient. FIG. 2 a shows an embodiment of a blister pack 25 for use with the installation according to the invention in perspective view, and FIGS. 2 b and 2 c in cross-sectional view with and without the blister film 27, respectively. As shown schematically in FIG. 2, the blister pack 25 has receiving compartments 26 arranged in a matrix configuration, which in the embodiment shown are arranged in four rows corresponding to a number of intake times during a day (morning, midday, evening, night) and seven columns corresponding to the days of a week. However, the invention is not limited to this specific arrangement of the receiving compartments 26 of the blister pack.

With reference again to FIG. 1, a guide rail 11 is shown constructed as a magnetic rail 11 for transporting the blister packs 25, which in this case lie on a workpiece carrier 20 (shown schematically in FIG. 6). Preferably, for this the workpiece carrier 20 is provided with troughs (not shown) corresponding to the arrangement of the receiving compartments 26 of the blister pack 25. At the start of the filling operation, the blister packs 25 are placed on the workpiece carrier 20 and pass individually and one after the other through the entire path from the first filling station to the last filling station of the filling installation. Each blister pack is thereby controlled individually and stops only at those filling stations 40 at which a medication filling operation into the respective blister pack 25 is required according to the prescription data of the respective patient. Typically, a blister pack 25 thus stops at three to seven filling stations at which the respective medication is fed in rows by means of a premetering cartridge 50, as will be explained in detail later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. Preferably, in the transfer region of the medications a clean room region is provided, which is given the reference numeral 30 in FIG. 1. Preferably, in this clean room region 30 germ-free and low-particle air is blown from the roof downwards, which prevents germs or undesirable dust particles from entering into the opened blister pack 25.

Downstream of a filling module 41 a phototunnel 32 with a camera (not shown) is provided, which establishes a visual image of the blister pack 25 after passing through the preceding filling module 41. With the aid of the image of the blister pack obtained by the camera in the phototunnel 32, evaluation electronics can check whether the filling with medication has been correctly implemented according to the respective prescription data of the patient.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the medication filling operation at a medication filling station 40. The filling module 25 is first conveyed with the aid of the workpiece carrier 20 to the envisaged medication filling module 40. The filling module 20 stops its movement and the premetering cartridge 50 performs a movement perpendicular to the direction of movement of the blister pack, as indicated in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b by means of an arrow. At the end of this transverse movement, a premetering compartment 51 is in each case to be found over a weekday compartment 26 of a row of the blister pack 25 (FIG. 3 a and FIG. 6 c). An opening mechanism of the premetering compartment 51 of the premetering cartridge 50 is then activated, so that the medications present in the premetering compartments 51 drop from a low dropping height into the corresponding compartments 26 of the blister pack 25. In the embodiment of the invention shown, the opening mechanism of the premetering cartridge is constructed as a displaceable base 55 of the premetering cartridge. Other mechanisms, such as folding mechanisms or the like, however, are likewise possible in the context of the invention. If the medication 28 “dispensed” at the output station 40 is still required in another day row of the blister pack 25 (for example for a medicament intake in the morning and evening), the blister pack remains in position (not completely, it is already transported further by a corresponding number of rows), and the premetering cartridge 50 moves back (FIG. 3 d and FIG. 6 d) and is provided with a renewed portioning of the medications, which are then filled into the further time of day row of the blister pack 25 in the same manner. When the filling operation with this particular medication is concluded, the blister pack 25 moves to the next envisaged medication filling station 40.

An embodiment of a premetering cartridge 50 is shown in a schematic perspective view in FIG. 4. A total of seven premetering compartments 71 is provided, corresponding to the seven weekday columns of the blister pack 25, a different number of compartments 51 also being possible according to the invention. Preferably, the premetering compartments 51 are constructed in the form of a transparent internal lining made of plastics material which can be replaced for cleaning purposes and which can be fixed on a stable frame part 54 preferably made of metal. In the lower region of the side walls of the premetering compartments 51 slots 52 are provided on both sides for visual checking of whether or not a medication is present in the respective premetering compartment.

The mechanism for feeding the medication 28 into the premetering cartridge 50 of a medication filling station 40 is shown schematically in FIG. 5. In the embodiment shown the medication is fed by means of a continuous blister strip 45 which has blister pockets 46 arranged equidistantly for receiving the medication dosages, the distance between the individual blister pockets 46 of the blister strip 45 corresponding to the distance of the premetering compartments 51 of the premetering cartridge 50. The blister strip 45 present in the respective medication filling stations 40 is preferably unrolled from a roll known per se with the aid of a drive mechanism (not shown). When a blister strip 45 is used up, a new, filled blister strip roll can be mounted in the medication filling station 40 and/or the new blister strip can be glued or fastened directly on to the existing blister strip without difficulty, so that an uninterrupted supply of medication is ensured. For medication prescribed very rarely, for which blister-packing in a strip is not worthwhile, at least one medication filling station 40 can be provided for manual filling of the premetering cartridge 50. It is thereby possible to increase the flexibility of the installation and also to accommodate very rarely prescribed medication in the blister-packing under economic conditions.

As shown in FIG. 5, each medication filling station 40 has ejector rams 42 for ejecting the medication 28 out of the blister strip 45 into the premetering cartridge 50. Preferably, the ejector rams 42 are provided in a number corresponding to the number of premetering compartments 51 of the premetering cartridge 50 for time-saving parallel ejection of the medication units; however, this is not absolutely necessary and sequential ejection of the medication is likewise possible.

Preferably, a medication filling station 40 has at least two sensor devices 47, 48 for checking the correct blister strip-premetering cartridge-blister pack transfer of medication. A first transmitted light camera or light barrier 47 ascertains through the slots 52 provided on the premetering compartments 51 whether a medication is present in the corresponding premetering compartment 51 during the outwards movement of the premetering cartridge 50 and whether it is no longer present therein during the later inwards movement, as a result of which the correct release of the medication units into the corresponding compartments of the blister pack can be validated. In addition, an incident light camera 48 is preferably provided which likewise visually validates the filling status of the premetering compartments 51 before transfer of medication to the blister pack and thereafter, either by means of reflected light or as a transmitted light detector. In the latter case, the base of the premetering cartridge 50 must be constructed to be transparent to light.

Compared with the prior art known from WO 2005 102 841 A1, the use of the premetering cartridge 50 in the filling installation according to the invention ensures that the ejection operation from the blister strip 45 and the filling operation of the blister pack 25 are decoupled from one another. As a result, the filling operation of the blister pack 25 which is time-critical for the efficiency of the entire installation can be optimised with respect to speed, while more time is available for the ejection operation from the blister strip 45, which is mechanically difficult to perform, without the efficiency of the entire installation being impaired.

According to the invention, to convey the workpiece carrier 12 a magnetic rail system 10 with a linear motor drive is preferably provided, which rail system allows each workpiece carrier 20 and therefore the blister pack 25 present thereon to be guided individually. The magnetic rail system 10 has a self-contained guide rail 11, shown in cross section in FIG. 6. Each workpiece carrier 20 has a guide element 12 which surrounds the guide rail 11 and is guided in the guide rail 11 with or without contact (sliding, rolling) in a manner known per se in accordance with the principle of a magnetic levitation train. An electric linear motor which is likewise known per se ensures the individually controllable propulsion of the workpiece carrier 20 and therefore of the blister pack 25.

An embodiment of the method according to the invention for individually tailored filling of blister packs is explained in the following with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

At the start of the filling zone before the first filling module 41 a blister pack feeding station 60 is provided, shown schematically in FIG. 8. A blister pack removal station 61 is correspondingly arranged at the end of the filling zone.

In a first method step S2 (FIG. 7) an empty blister pack 25 is thus placed on the workpiece carrier 20 in the blister pack feeding station 60. In method step S4 the filling stations to be approached, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 these are stations A, B and C, are then (or simultaneously) determined. For the blister pack 25 in question, it is now checked in method step S6 whether or not the transport path to the next filling station to be approached is occupied by a preceding blister pack involved in a filling operation at a filling station lying in between. If this is the case the blister pack 25 in question follows or waits for the preceding blister pack according to method step S8. On the other hand, if the path to the next filling station 40 to be approached is free, the blister pack 25 travels according to step S10 at the maximum transport speed to this next medication filling station 40, where the filling operation is carried out in method step S12. Method steps 86 to 812 are repeated until it is ascertained in step S14 that the last envisaged filling station is reached. In method step S16 the blister pack is then removed at the blister pack removal station 61, the blister pack 25 is sealed with the blister film 27 and an information card (not shown) with patient identification information and prescription information for the patient is printed and this information card is attached to the blister. Finally, the filled blister pack 25 provided with the information card is ready for dispatch (step S20).

FIG. 8 shows schematically the various states of movement of the blister pack. State of movement (1), shown by a cross-hatched rectangle with an arrow, designates a forward movement with maximum speed to the next medication filling station to be guided towards or to a “waiting line” of preceding blister packs, state of movement (2), shown by a solid rectangle, designates a filling operation at a medication filling station 40, state of movement (3), shown by a cross-hatched rectangle without an arrow, designates a forwards movement of the blister pack in a “waiting line” behind a preceding blister pack, and state of movement (4), shown by a rectangle with a cross, designates the return movement of an empty workpiece carrier 20 to the blister pack feeding station 60. Since the number of filling stations to be guided towards by each individual blister is relatively low in relation to the total number of filling stations, the distances which can be covered with maximum speed (state of movement (1)) are relatively long, so that the efficiency of the entire installation can be improved considerably compared with an installation operated in cycles, as disclosed in WO 2005 102 841 A1. This also applies if the sequence of the individual blister packs 25 is optimised not with respect to the blister-packing but with respect to the sequence of dispatch to the end users (pharmacies).

By the individual guiding of the individual blister packs only to the medication filling stations required in each case according to the prescription data, the invention makes possible considerably faster passage of the individual blister packs through the installation and therefore increased efficiency compared with conventional cyclic operation. If a filling station 40 drops out briefly because of maintenance work or changing of the blister strip, this does not require the entire installation to be stopped. Replacement of a defective filling station by a new filling station is also possible without problems, without shutting down the entire installation. 

1. An apparatus for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data, wherein the blister packs have receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of intake times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays, comprising: a number of medication filling stations arranged one after the other for filling the blister packs with in each case a particular medication; and a transport device for transporting the blister packs individually one after the other in a direction of movement alongside the medication filling stations, wherein each blister pack is guided individually in a manner such that said pack approaches only the medication filling stations required in each case according to the prescription data for a filling operation, bypassing the other medication filling stations, and is directly conveyed onwards to the next required medication filling station or to a position behind a preceding blister pack present at a medication filling station.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport device is constructed as a magnetic track with a linear motor for driving the blister packs.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport device is constructed for transporting workpiece carriers, which are guided in a magnetic rail, for receiving the blister packs.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transport device is constructed as a closed track on which the workpiece carriers are conveyed in a closed circuit, the blister packs being placed on the workpiece carriers before being filled and being removed again after the filling operation.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein in each case a column of a blister pack corresponding to a number of days is filled simultaneously in one working step.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each filling station has a movable premetering cartridge for filling the blister packs.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a camera arranged above the transport device for visual checking of the correct filling of the blister packs according to the prescription data.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in each case a plurality of filling stations are combined to form filling modules and a camera is arranged downstream of each filling module for visual checking of the correct filling of the blister packs.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further having a clean room region for creating clean room conditions during filling of the blister packs.
 10. A method for individually tailored filling of blister packs with medication according to predetermined prescription data, wherein the blister packs have receiving compartments for respective medication administration units, said compartments being arranged in a matrix configuration in rows corresponding to a number of intake times during a day and columns corresponding to a number of days, for example weekdays, the method comprising: conveying the blister packs individually one after the other in a direction of movement alongside medication filling stations arranged one after the other for filling the blister packs with in each case a particular medication, wherein each blister pack is guided individually in a manner such that said pack approaches only the medication filling stations required in each case according to the prescription data for a filling operation, bypassing the other medication filling stations, and is directly conveyed onwards to the next required medication filling station or to a position behind a preceding blister pack present at a medication filling station.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the blister packs are driven by means of a magnetic track with a linear motor.
 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein workpiece carriers for receiving the blister packs are provided, which workpiece carriers are conveyed in a closed circuit, the blister packs being placed on the workpiece carriers before being filled and being removed again after the filling operation.
 13. The method according to claim 10, wherein in each case a column of a blister pack corresponding to a number of days is filled simultaneously in one working step.
 14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the blister packs are filled by means of a movable premetering cartridge.
 15. The method according to claim 10, furthermore comprising the method step of visual checking of the correct filling of the blister packs according to the prescription data.
 16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the blister packs are filled under clean room conditions.
 17. The method according to claim 10, comprising the method step of establishing and attaching a documentation carrier on the blister pack comprising information relating to the individual and/or information on the use of the medication packaged in the blister pack.
 18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sequence of the blister packs filled in succession is specified according to the requirements of the recipients of the filled blister packages. 